Carpet sweeper



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. LE FELBVRE CARPET SWEEPER .Fl-wn g- Aug. 19, 1952 Filed Nov. 8. 1946 Aug. 19, 1952 A. L. LE.' FEBVRE CARPET SWEEPER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 8, 1946 Ina/e 2a iba A. L. LE FEBVRE CARPET SWEEPER Aug. 19, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 8, 1946 Patented Aug. 19, 1952 CARPET SWEEPER `Alfred L. Le Febvre, Windsor, Conn., assignor to The Fuller Brush Company, Hartford, Conn.,

a corporation of Connecticut Application' November 8, 1946, Serial, No. 708,713

9 Claims. (Cl. 15-41) The invention relates to carpet sweepers and the general object thereof is to provide a carpet sweeper having various improved functional and structural features which result'in eiiciency of operation and economy of manufacture.

'In the drawings `I have shown in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction shown, and that the drawings are not to be construed a-s dening or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a car-petgsweeper embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a 'left side view.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 isan enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to the right `hand portion of Fig.}3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, this view showing the dustpan partly removed. In this view one of the supporting wheels is omitted, the outline thereof being shown by a dot-and-dash line.

Fig. '7 is a view similar toFig. 6 but showing the dustpan in place and showing some of the other parts in different rela-tive positions. n

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary Vplan view taken along the line 8 8 of Fig. 6, the body being omitted.

Fig. -9 is a fragmentarysectional view taken along the line 6 9 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figs. 1 `to 3 thereof, Il) is the main body of the carpet sweeper, this being preferably lformed of sheet metal drawn and pressed to the required shape. The body is generally rectangular and is open at the bottom. Thebody has front and rear walls and side walls and a top Wall, all of which are integral with each other. Surrounding the body and suitably secured thereto at or near the bottom is a bumper 'l2 formed of rubber or other suitable material. Positioned `adjacent the sides of the body and partly withinit are iioor engaging supporting wheels I4, I6 and I8, 26. These wheels are connected with the body in a manner to be presently described and they serve to support it. The carpet sweeper is provided with a handle 22, the lower end of which is rigidly connected with a U-shaped bail 24. The legs of the U are spaced transversely and they extend downwardly through 2 longitudinal slots 2.6 and 28 formed in the top wall of the body I0. 'Ihe lower `ends of the ylegs of the bail 24 are connected `with the mechanism of the carpet sweeper in a manner to be presently described.

Adjacent the respective sides of the carpet sweeper land Within the body I0 are mechanisms for .connecting the `supporting wheels 'with the body.` These mechanisms are l'similar and that at the right side will be .described in detail. Each mechanism includes a plate so constituting -a bracket which is secured to the corresponding vertical side wall of the body in a suitable manner, as by rivets 3|, 3i. The `upper corner portions of each bracket 36 are preferably offset inwardly from themain body of the bracket along diagonal zones 32 and 34, the said corner portions thus being spaced inwardly from `theside wall of the body. The inwardly spacedcorner portions are triangular. A atarm 36 is provided adjacent the upper left hand corner of the bracket v3l), as viewed in Figs. 6 and 7, the upper portion of thisarm being in the space between the side wall of the `body and the offset corner portion of the bracket 36. vThe arm is pivotally connected with the said bracket 36 at 38. The lower lportion of the Varm 36 extends downwardly through a slot 46 lin the offset zone 32 of the bracket. The lower 4portion of the arm is vat the inner side of the bracket. Secured to the lower end portion of the arm 36 Vis an inwardly extending stud 42, a reduced portion of which extends through a bearing aperture in the corresponding supporting wheel I4, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The said supporting wheel I4- is omitted from Figs. 6 and 7 in order that other parts may be more clearly seen, but the outline of the wheel is shown by a dot-and-dash line. The Wheel is held in place on the stud by means of a washer 44 and a washer holding element 45. lA Yflat armr 46 similar to the arm 36 is provided at the upper right hand corner of the bracket 30,'as viewed in Figs. 6 and '7, this being similarly pivotally connected with the plate at 48 and extending through a slot 56 in the offset zone 34. The arm 46 is provided With a stud '52 similar to the stud 42, this stud .extending through a bearing aperture in the supporting wheel I6 which is similarly `held in place.

It will be seen that the arms 36 and 46, together with the Wheels I4 and I6, can swing about the pivotal axes at 33 and 48, but such swinging movements must be within the limits established by the ends of the slots 46 and 56. The slots 40 and 5D are relatively narrow and the thickness of i the arms 36 and 46 is only slightly less than the width of the slots. Thus the arms are guided by the edges of the slots and any transverse movement or bending thereof is prevented.

A rotary cylindrical brush 54 is provided which may be of any usual or preferred construction. The details of the brush do not constitute a part of the present invention. At the ends of the brush are trunnions which carry brush driving wheels 56 and 58. The wheel 56 at the right, as viewed in Fig. 3, frictionally engages the two supporting wheels i4 and I6 and the wheel 58 at the left frictionally engages the two supporting wheels I8 and 28.

The legs of the bail 24 are provided near their lower ends with transversely aligned inwardly opening bearing apertures, these bearing apertures being adapted to receive bearing members 64 carried by the brush 54 at the ends thereof. Each bearing member 64 is movable in a sleeve 66 within the body of the brush and is pressed outwardly by means of a -coil spring 68, Outward movement of the bearingmember 64 is limited by'an inturned annular flange on the sleeve. The lower ends of the legs of the bail are provided with pintles which project outwardly into short transversely aligned vertical slots 'in the brackets 30 near the centers thereof. The axes of the vpintles are in alignment with the axes of the bearing apertures for the bearing members 64. These pintles pivotally connect the bail and the handle with the brackets 38, relative vertical movement being permitted to an extent limited vby the length of the slots 1U;

provided at each side, the center portion of the l spring extending into a slot in the corresponding button 68 or 62 immediately adjacent the flattened portion of the leg of the bail 24. The spring 12 Vengages the button at the bottom thereof and the: ends of the spring are entered in apertures f 14and 16 preferably formed in the corresponding bracket 38 at the offset zones 32 and 34 thereof. It will be seen that each spring 1'2 presses upwardly on the corresponding button so as to tend to hold the button with' the projecting pintle thereon at the upper end of the vertical slot 18. Y

The brush 54 is normally held in position by the engagement of its bearing members 64, 64 with the bearing apertures in the buttons 60 and 62. The brush can be removed from the carpet sweeper by moving it endwise in either direction to'compress one spring 68 sufficiently to permit the bearing member 64' at the opposite end to be withdrawn from its button 66 or 62. The last said end of the brush can then be slightly lowered and the brush can be moved endwise in the opposite direction to permit the other bearing member 64 to be withdrawn from its button 6l or 62. After that the brush can be moved downwardly, the wheels 56 and 58 passing between the supporting wheels of the respective pairs. The pintles on the buttons 68 and 62 constitute pivots for the bail 24, and the said bail, together With-the handle 22, can be' swung forwardly or rearwardly to the extent permitted by the slots 26 and 28 in the top wall of the body i8. The legs of the bail 24 are so spaced that they must be flexed inwardly to permit the ends of the studs to be inserted in or removed from the slots 10, 10. Such inward flexing of the legs of the bail can be effected when they are opposite recesses 18, 18 formed in the inner sides of the slots 26 and 28. In assembling, the handle and bail are put in Vplace before the brush is connected with the button, and in disassembling the brush is removed iirst. Preferably, each of the brackets 30, 38 is formed at the center to provide detents having a shallow recess 80 between them into which the corresponding leg of the bail is entered when the bail is in a predetermined position, as for instance in a vertical position. The resiliency of the bail tends to hold the legs thereof in the said recesses 80, 80 and to thus hold the bail and the handle in a predetermined position, as for instance a vertical position. The sides of the detents forming the recesses 80, 88 are inclined so that the legs of the bail caneasily be forced out of the recesses. It will be observed that the inward flexing of the legs of the bail as they are forced out of the recesses 86, 8U occurs when the said legs vare at the recesses 18, 18 in the slots in the body. From the foregoing description it will be apparent that all movable parts of the carpet sweeper, other than the dustpan to be later described, are connected with the body solely by means of the brackets 38, 30 which are entirely within the body, none of the said movable parts being directly connected with the body. The supporting wheels I4, I6, I8 and 26 are connected with the brackets directly and independently of the body by means including the arms 36 and 46 and the associated parts; the handle '22 and its bail 24 are connected with the brackets directly and independently of the body by means of the pintles on the buttons 60 and 62 secured to the bail legs; and the brush and the brush driving wheels are connected with the brackets independently of the body by means of the bearing members 64 which engage the said buttons 68 and 62. The described construction makes it possible to use a simple and inexpensive one-piece `body which at least partly encloses all of the said movable parts other than the handle.

A dustpan 82 vis provided having a bottom which normally is at substantially the level of the bottom of the body, as shown in Fig. '7. The dustpan 82 is supported at the front by means of integral projections 84 which enter corresponding holes in the front wall of the housing. The dustpan is supported at the rear by means of a spring 86 having a button 88 which projects into a hole 98 in the wall of the body as shown in Fig. 7. By manually pressing the button 88 inward, it can be released from the hole 90 and the rear portion of the dustpan can be lowered to the position shown in Fig. 6. Then the dustpan can be entirely removed, the projections 84, 84 being withdrawn from the holes in the front of the body.

The floor of the dustpan is interrupted at the center to receive the lower portion of the brush 54 and transverse flanges 92 and 84 are provided at opposite sides of the brush to prevent the escape of dust downwardly through the floor opening which receives the brush. l Each end wall of the dustpan is provided with a notch 66 (see Fig. 4) which is shaped to receive and clear the trunnions ofthe brush, these notches being curved as :shown in Figs. 6 .and rI :to permit the panto be putin place orremovedr i Inasmuch as the brush 554' iis 4carried by the bearing members :64, 64. which are engaged with bear-ing apertures in the buttons 6,0 and 62, the bowsprings 12 serve initially to hold' the brush vin its 'uppermost position with respectv to the .brackets 30, 30 and with :respect to the body' Ill', as shown in Fig. 6, The lweight, of the body |.0 and of the parts carried thereby tends to swing the arms 36 and 46 and the supporting wheels conneeted therewith toward each other and relatively upwardly. The aforesaid movement is limited bythe engagement of the said supporting wheels withthe brush driving wheels, which are initially held by the springs 12, 1.2 in their. uppermost positions. When the vcarpet sweeper is idle and when no downward pressure .is being exerted thereon -by the handle 22 and the bail `24, `the parts (exceptY the dust pan) arefin the relative positions shown in Fig. 6.

When the carpet sweeper is used, downward pressure. is exerted by the handle 122 andthe bail 24 `to movethe buttons v(iii vand 62 and the brush y54 relatively downwardly from :the position shown in Fig. 6 in opposition to Athe springs 12, 12.. Fig. l'7 `shows the extreme limit of downward movement wherein the buttons are at the bottomsof the slots 10. .It will be seen that the brush 54 is in position to engage the floor to effect sweeping. When the brush is moved downward from the position shown in Fig. 6 toward-or to the position shown in Fig. '1, the brush driving wheels 56 and 58 are lforced downwardly between the corresponding `supporting wheels I4, I6 land I8, A2l). This causes the driving wheelsand `their supporting arms 316 and 46 to swing relatively downwardly and away from each other. This relative movement will be apparent from a comparison of the positions shown in Fig. '7 with those shown in Fig. 6. Inasmuch as the wheels are moved downwardly relativelyto the body, the net v,result is `that the body and the `parts directly carried thereby are movedgslightly upwardly away from the floor. This upward movement is. l

small as compared with the described downward movement of the brush. With the brush in contact with the floor, as shown inFig. 7, sweeping rcan be effected in the usual manner by moving the sweeper forwardly or `backwardly lDust and other downward pressure is relieved 4the brush Iand asy sociated parts are returned by the Springs 12, 12 lto `the relative positions shown in Fig. 6 andthe supporting wheels are swung lrelatively* inwardly and upwardly to the extent permitted by the brush wheels.

It will be seen that lwhen the parts are in the positions lshown'i-n Fig. 6, the entire weight of the carpet sweeper is effective to tend to swing the supporting wheels and their arms inwardly and upwardly, such swinging being limited by the engagement of the supporting wheels with the brush wheels. The axis of the brush wheels is only slightly above a plane connecting the axes of the supporting wheels, and there is therefore a toggle action which results in considerable pressure between the supporting wheels and the brush wheels. This pressure serves effectively to rotate the brush wheels and the brush when the carpet sweeper is moved. When the brush and brush wheels are moved relatively downwardly towardthexpositions yshown .in Fig. 17, the axisof the brush wheels is lowered and the pressure'resulting from the: beforermentioned toggle action is greatly increased. This lincrease is .due `in-jpart to the changedfrelationshipfof the saidaxes 'and is due in 4part :to the .fact that the downward pressure applied through the Ahandle isaddedto .the weight of the carpet. sweeper, the weight and the .pressure both tending 'to swing the supporting wheels toward each other and Vupwardly with resultant increased 'pressure against the 'brush wheels.

`1. In .a .carpet sweeper, the'combinationiof 1a hollow .one-.piece body open at the bottom `,and 'having front and rear wallsand side walls and a ftop Awallwhic'h top wall. has two slots therein adiacent the side-walls and parallel thereto, `two similar brackets within the -body and structurally yseparate therefrom, one bracket being ,secured to the inner face of one side wall land. the :other bejing secured 4to the inner face of the other-side wall and the said brackets having transversely aligned vertical slots `therein vnear `the centers thereof, two similar pairs of floor engaging `slipportijng wheels loca-ted'partly within the body'and adjacent and at the inner sides of the respective brackets, means independent of the body for connecting the wheels of the respective pairs directly with the corresponding brackets, a handle, abail'rigidly connected with the handle and 'having two resilient legs adapted to be Vflexed toward each other which 'legs extend into the body through the respective slots in the said top wall and are adjacent the inner sides of the respective brackets, outwardly extending pintles on the 'bail legs which normally project jinto thesaid slots in the respective brackets and which can "be withdrawn vfrom the said slots by flexing the said bail legs, the said pintles vbeing'verticallymovaltrlein the .said slots and the handle and bail being pivotally movable .about the axes of the pintles, a transversely extending rotatable floor engaging brush partly within the body, `two brush driving wheels secured to the brush Ladjacent the ends thereof and registering with the driving Wheels of the respective pairs and in frictiona'l engagement therewith, and means independent of the body for detachably connecting the brush and the driving wheels with the respective legs of thebail for rotation about an axis coincident .with .the `axes of the vertically movable pintles.

2. A carpet sweeper asset forth in claim l, wherein the .bail is ,provided with `buttons Awhich .are provided with thesaid .pintles and are also provided withbearing apertures, and wherein the 'brush and the driving wheels are provided `with longitudinally movable bearing members which normally extend into the'bearing apertures lin the buttons.

3. A carpet sweeper as set forthin claim `1, wherein the inner edges of the said slots in the top wall of the body prevent flexing of the bail legs toward each other except when the bail is in a predetermined position, and wherein transversely aligned recesses are provided at the inner edges of the said slots to permit flexing of the bail legs toward each other when in the said predetermined position.

4. A carpet sweeper as set forth in claim 1, wherein the brackets are provided near the tops thereof with transversely aligned inwardly extending detents which detents are engageable with the legs of the bail for releasably holding the bail-andthe handle ina predetermined positio'n."

" 5.- In a carpet sweeper, the; combinaton'of a hollow body open at the bottom and having side walls, the top of ythe saidbody having two slots therein adjacent the said side walls and parallel thereto, two brackets, one secured to the inner faceof one `body side wall and the other secured to the inner face of the other body side wall, the said brackets having transversely aligned vertical slots therein near the centers thereof and each of the said brackets being formed with offset zones providing inwardly offset'upper corner portions at the front and at the rear which offset zones have slots therein, two pairs of arms pivotally connected respectively with the inwardly oisetcorner portionsof lthe two brackets at the outer sides thereof and extending diagonally downwardly and toward eachother through the respective slots in the said oiset zones sothat the lower end portions of the arms are -at the inner-sides of the respective brackets, the said arms being pivotally movable in the respective lslots Yto the extents permitted vby the lengths thereof,v two pairs of inwardly extending studs secured to the lower end portions of the respective arms, two pairs of floor engaging supporting wheels rotatable on the respective studs, a handle Aprovided with a bail having legs which extend intoA the body through` the said slots in the top thereof and which are respectively adjacent the inner sides of said brackets, outwardly extending pintles on the bail legs which respectively project into thesaid vertical slots in the brackets and are vertically movable therein, a transversely extending rotatable brush located within the body and rotatably supported at its ends by the bail legs for rotation about a horizontal axis in alignment with the said pintles, and .twobrush driving wheels secured to the brush adjacent the ends thereof and at the inner sides of the bail legs whichwheels engage fric- 'tionally withthe supporting wheels of the respective pairs.

f 6. A` carpet sweeper'as set forth in claim 5, wherein the slots in the offset Zones of the brackets are narrow with their edges closely adjacent the s aidarms so as to prevent any substantial transverse movement of the said arms.

7. A'carpet sweeper as set forth in claim 5, wherein bowsprings are provided which engage at their ends with the offset Zones of the brackets and which engage between their ends with the bail legs to bias the said bail and the said rotatable brush in the upward direction,

' 8. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a hollow body open 'at the bottom and having side walls, the top of the said body having two slots therein adjacent the said side walls and parallel thereto, two brackets, one secured to the inner face of one body side wall and the other secured rto the inner face of the other body side wall,

the said brackets v'havingtransversely.. aligned vertical slots therein near thecenters thereof; two pairs fof floor engaging supporting wheels connected with the respective brackets at the inner sides thereof and rotatable about transverse'axes the said wheels of .each pair being mounted for' limited relative movement toward and from each other, a handle provided with a bail havinglegs which extend into the body through the said slots in the top thereof and'which are respectively' ad.- jacent'the inner sides of vsaid brackets, the said bail'legs being provided with transversely aligned bearing apertures adjacent their lower ends, out-v wardly extending pintles on the bail legs which align with the said bearing apertures and which respectively project into the said' vertical slots in the brackets and are vertically movable therein; a'transversely extending rotatable brushlocated within the body between the bail legs, axial bearing members on the brush extending into.v the said bearing apertures, at least one-of the bearing members being movable axially relatively to the brush to permit detachment thereof from the'bail legs and' downward removal thereof from the body, and two brush driving wheels secured to the brush' adjacent the ends thereof andat the inner sides of the bail legs which wheels engage frictionally with the supporting wheels of the respective pairs and are movable between the said supporting wheels when the brush is detached and moved downward.

9. A carpet sweeper as set forth in claim 8, wherein the bail is resilient so that the legs thereof can be flexed inwardly after removal of the brush so as to withdraw the pintles from the slots in the brackets, the bail being thusv detached from the brackets and the handle and bail being then removable in the upward direction.

ALFRED L. LE FEBVRE.

f REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'E'NTS Date Number Name 186,894 Stewart Jan. 30, 1877 232,698 Drew Sept. 28, 1880 246,493 Gates Aug. 30, 1881 293,989 Travis Feb. 19, 1884 473,438 Raymond Apr. 19, 1892 525,721 RuTon Sept. 11, 1894 580,191 Mayo Apr.6, 1897 980,875 McGlinnen Jan. 3,1911 2,034,025 Cummins Mar. 17, 1936 2,050,361 Milligan Aug. 11, 1936 2,180,060 Kenyon Nov. 14, 1939 2,239,276 Smith Apr. 22, 1941 2,290,847 Kenyon July 21, 1942 2,371,918 Rubin Mar. 20, 1945 2,436,460

Thiele Feb. 24, 1948 

